Heel-seat fitting machine



V E. A. BESSOM HEEL SEAT FITTING MACHINE Filed June 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 23, 1937. E, A, B OM 2,071,326

HEEL SEAT FITTING MACHINE Filed June 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 11111111111 ymjjijjmj l'l-lllllll Feb. 23, 1937. E. A. sEssoM HEEL. SEAT FITTING MACHINE Filed June 4, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HEEL-SEAT FITTING MACHINE Application June 4, 1934, Serial No. 728,905

17 Claims.

This invention relates to the manufacture of shoes and is illustrated as embodied in a heelseat fitting machine.

In preparing a shoe for the reception of a wood heel it is customary for the operator to trim the margin of the heel-seat portion of the sole of the shoe by a beveling cut and to form at the forward extremities thereof a pair of laterally extending shoulders which are to be engaged by the breast of the heel positioned upon the shoe. The marginal portions of the later-ally extending shoulders are usually unsupported and often droopfrom the shoe upper after the shoe has been worn. Accordingly, in making shoes of the better grades, the operator while reducing the heel-seat portion of the sole by the use of a hand knife and forming upon the sole heelbreast receiving shoulders the major portions of which are inclined at a steep angle to the general plane of the sole in accordance with the breast angle of the heel, also forms at the upper lateral portions of each of the shoulders a fillet or ledge which in the finished shoe overlies or overrides the attaching face of the heel and thus prevents the lateral margins of the heel-breast receiving shoulders from sagging away from the shoe upper.

One object of this invention is to provide a heelseat fitting machine operable to form fillets or ledges such as above described during the heelseat fitting operation. With the above object in view and in accordance with a feature of this invention there is provided a heel-seat fitting machine comprising a support for a sole, and a knife movable in a path extending transversely across the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, the knife having a cutting edge comprising a leading portion inclined at a slight angle to the path of movement of the knife and constructed and arranged to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder upon the sole, the cutting edge also comprising a trailing portion disposed at a substantial angle to the locus of the shoulderforming portion and constructed and arranged to form a fillet between the heel-breast receiving shoulder and the heel-seat portion of the sole. The illustrated knives which are constructed and arranged in accordance with a feature of my invention, are disclosed herein as incorporated in the heel-seat fitting machine disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,980,371, granted Nov. 13, 1934, on an application filed in my name, which machine comprises a sole-supporting crease plate provided with a U-shaped opening, a presser member for forcing the margin of the heel-seat portion of the sole positioned upon the plate against the same, a bulger for forcing the central part of the heel-seat portion through the opening and beyond the plate, and a back cutter provided with a straight cutting edge movable along the under side of the plate for reducing the heel-seat portion of the sole. In accordance with my invention, the above-mentioned shoulderforming knives, which move in paths extending transversely of the sole, are each provided with a substantially continuous cutting edge comprising leading and trailing portions which are disposed angularly to each other, the leading portion of the cutting edge being arranged oblique to its path of cutting movement to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder inclined at a steep angle to the general plane of the sole in accordance with the shape of the breast of the heel to be attached to the shoe. The trailing portion of the cutting edge of the knife is disposed at a substantial angle to the plane of the path of movement of the leading portion of the cutting edge and during its movement transversely of the sole forms the above-mentioned fillet or ledge which extends from the shoulder rearwardly of the shoe and adjacent to the shoe upper and, in the finished shoe, overlies the forward lateral portions of the attaching face of the heel.

By equipping the above-identified machine with knives such as just described, an unskilled operator may quickly and efiectively reduce the heelseat portion of the sole and form heel-breast receiving shoulders upon the sole as well as provide fillets or ledges which prevent the lateral margins of the shank portion of the shoe from drooping away from the shoe upper immediately forward of the heel-breast line.

These and other features of the invention will be described as embodied in an illustrated machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly'in section of the operating head of the illustrated heel-seat fitting machine to which a shoe is presented;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of the operating head looking forwardly of the machine and showing the heel-breast shoulder and ledge forming knives of the machine in the process of trimming the sole of the shoe;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation partly in section of a portion of the operating head of the machine illustrating the relative positions of the operating parts of the machine and the shoe as the heel-seat reducing knife finishes its trimming cut;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the heel-seat portion of a shoe after it has been trimmed in the machine illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the machine illustrated in Fig. l equipped with knives of a modified type for forming heel-breast receiving shoulders and ledges such as above described;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View corresponding to Fig. 2 and showing the shoulder-forming knives illustrated in Fig. 5 in the process of trimming the sole;

Fig. 7 is a detail view of the shoulder-forming knives illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 at the end of their cutting movement toward each other;

Fig. 8 is a detail sectional view of one of the shoulder and ledge forming knives taken along line VIII-VIII of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the rear end of an inverted shoe after it has been trimmed in a machine equipped as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6;

Figs. 10 and 11 are enlarged side elevation and perspective views respectively of one of the shoulder and fillet-forming knives illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3;

Fig. 12 shows a side view of the shoulder and fillet-forming knives illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive; and

Fig. 13 is a rear perspective view of the lower portions of the knives illustrated in Fig. 12, a portion of the fillet-forming knife having been broken away in order more clearly to show the construction thereof.

The illustrated machine is described with reference to trimming the margin of the heel-seat portion of a sole attached to a shoe 22 to provide reduced heel seats 24 (Fig. 4) 25 (Fig. 9) and with reference to forming heel-breast receiving shoulders 28 (Fig. 4) 38 (Fig. 9) at the forward lateral portions of the respective reduced heel seats. The heel-supporting surface of each of the reduced heel seats 24, 28 has a shape complemental to the attaching face of a wood heel which is to be received by the shoe, the heelbreast receiving shoulders 28, 30 being so positioned that they engage the heel when the same has been properly positioned upon the shoe.

As above stated, in order to prevent the mar gins of soles which are located immediately forward of the heel-breast receiving shoulders 28, 38 from sagging away from the respective shoe uppers the upper lateral portions of the shoulders are extended rearwardly and toward the shoe upper to form fillets or ledges 32 (Fig. 34 (Fig. 9) which in the finished shoe overlie the attaching face of the heel. When the heel is attached to the shoe the fillets or ledges 32, 34 are forced against the overlasted counter portion 36 of the shoe 22.

The illustrated machine with the exception of the shoulder and ledge-forming knives 38 (Figs. 1 to 3) 40 (Figs. 5 to 8) is similar to the machine disclosed in the above-mentioned United States Letters Patent No. 1,980,371 which may be referred to for a complete understanding of the construction and operation of the machine.

The heel-seat portion of the sole 2!) of the shoe 22 is supported upon a plate 42 which is provided with a U-shaped opening 43 (Fig. 1) and engages within the rand crease of the shoe. The machine is of the general type in which the heel-seat portion of the sole is distorted prior to reducing the same, the margin of the heelseat portion being forced by a U-shaped presser member 44 against a beveled face 46 (Figs. 1 and 3) of the plate 42. The presser member 44 includes a pair of arm portions 48 secured to a carrier slide 50 which is mounted in opposing grooves 49 (Fig. l) of a housing 5|, a bight portion 52 of the presser member being pivotally mounted upon a pin 54 supported by lugs 56 of the carrier slide 53. When the presser member 44 is raised from the work the sole-engaging face of the bight portion 52 is forced below the soleengaging face of the arm portions 48 by springs 58 positioned between the carrier slide 58 and the bight portion 52. The grooves 49 in which the carrier slide 58 is mounted flare toward the rear end of the housing 5|, the carrier slide 50 being mounted for pivotal movement about its forward end. The carrier slide 50 is normally urged against the lower faces of the grooves 49 by a spring 68 mounted in a dome portion 62 of the housing 5|. The presser member 44 is thus constructed and arranged effectively to clamp substantially the entire margin of a sole which varies in thickness against the beveled face 46 of the plate 42. The presser member 44 is raised and lowered through mechanism which will be described presently, along a guideway 64 (Fig. 1) of the machine frame 56.

In order to distort the heel-seat portion of the sole 20 which has been forced against the plate 42 by the U-shaped presser member 64, a bulger 68 (Fig. 3) is mounted for vertical movement within a bore 19 (Figs. 1 and 3) of the housing 5|. The bulger 68 has a sole-engaging face 14 which is similar to but slightly smaller than the U-shaped opening. As the bulger 68 is forced downwardly against the sole which is clamped against the crease plate 42 by the U-shaped presser member 44, the central part of the heel-seat portion of the sole is forced through the U-shaped opening. After the heel-seat portion of the sole has been properly distorted a cutter or knife 76 the cutting edge 78 of which is straight and is in engagement with the underside of the crease plate 42 is moved forwardly of the sole to reduce the heel-seat portion of the same.

The bulger 58 is mounted upon a stud 88 (Fig. 3) extending from a flange portion 82 of a rod 84 which passes through the bore 78 of the housing 5|. The bulger 68 is retained upon the stud 88 by a spring-pressed plunger 86 mounted in the bulger and of suitable shape to engage within a recess of the stud.

The housing 5| is supported by the flange portion 82 of the rod 84, the arrangement being such that the sole-engaging face [4 of the bulger 68 is raised above the sole-engaging portions of the U-shaped presser member 44 when the flange 82 is in engagement with the housing 5|. When the rod 84 is moved downwardly both the housing 5| and the bulger 68 are moved downwardly therewith to force the margin of the heel-seat portion of the sole against the beveled face 48 of the plate 42. Continued downward movement of the rod 84 causes a spring 88 which surrounds the rod and is included within a cylindrical housing 90 secured to the rod, to be compressed thereby to cause the U-shaped presser member 44 to exert further pressure against the margin of the heel-seat portion of the sole and also to cause the bulger 68 to force the heel-seat portion of the sole through the U-shaped opening of the plate 42.

Each of the knives 38 and 40 which are movable transversely of the sole is secured to a block 92 in different adjusted positions widthwise of the sole through the provision of screws 94, the shank portion of each of the knives 38 being threaded relation with the block 92.

provided with a fiange'96 (Fig. 2) of suitable size to fit within a guideway 98 of the block 92. The knives 38 may thus be initially adjusted relatively to their respective blocks 92 by releasing the screws 94, which are in threaded relation with the shank portions of the knives 38 and pass through elongated slots I in the blocks 92, and by then sliding the knives along their respective guideways 98, after which the screws 94 are again set up to bind the knives 38 to the respective blocks 92.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, each of the shoulder-forming knives 38 is provided with a cutting edge a leading portion I02 (Fig. 2.) of which is oblique or inclined at a slight angle to its path of movement and is constructed and arranged to form the heel-breast receiving shoulder 28 upon the sole, and a trailing portion I04 of which is disposed at a substantial angle to the plane of movement of the leading portion I02 of the cutting edge and is constructed and arranged to form the fillet or ledge 32 upon the sole. The trailing portion I04 may be said to be disposed at a substantial angle to the locus of the leading portion I02.

In the construction illustrated in Figs. 5 to 8, inclusive, each of the knives 40 comprises shoulder and ledge-forming blades I06, I98 provided with leading and trailing cutting edges H0, H2, respectively, which also face in directions disposed at substantial angles to each other. By making the knife of two parts the cost of the same is materially reduced and the sharpening of the knife is simplified considerably. The blades I06, I08 are adjustably secured to a holder II4 through the provision of screws H6, H8, respectively, the cutting edge IIIJ being inclined at an oblique angle to the path of cutting movement of the cutter and the cutting edge II2 which is substantially continuous with the cutting edge IIO, being inclined at a substantial angle to the plane of movement of the cutting edge IIO. It will be noted that the face I20 (Fig. 8) of the lower part of the blade I08 is rounded to insure that the shoulder 30 which has been previously formed by the cutting edge III! shall not be cut by the ledge-forming blade I08. In traversing the sole, the rounded face I20 temporarily forces the lateral portions of the previously formed shoulders 30 slightly forward, the shoulders springing back to their original positions when the ledge-forming blade I08 has been moved laterally of the sole. The holder H4 is provided with a flange portion I22 corresponding to the flange 96 (Fig. 2) of the knife 38 and is adjustably secured to the block 92 in different positions along the guideway 98 by the screw 94.

In order to form heel-breast receiving shoulders 30 inclined at various angles to the plane of the sole each of the blocks 92 may be adjusted along an arcuate slot I24 of a block housing I26, such adjustment being effected through the provision of a screw I28 which passes through an arcuate slot I30 of the housing I26 and is in Each of the housings I26 is supported for sliding movement along a guideway I32 of a supporting bed I34 and is operated by an arm I36. The knives 38, 40 of the illustrated machine are mounted for movement in a single plane for fitting heel seats of shoes for the reception of Louis heels. In order to equip the machine for Cuban work the knives 38, 40 may be secured to blocks which are movable in paths disposed at various angles to the lengthwise median plane of the sole. Such a construction is disclosed in the above-mentioned United States Letters Patent No. 1,980,371.

The cutting edge I02 is incurved in accordance with the slight transverse curvatureof the reduced heel seat 24 but may be straight if desirable. It will be noted that by arranging the cutting edges I02 (Fig. 2) H0 (Fig. 6) oblique to their respective paths of cutting movement a draw out is produced.

In order to perform the heel-seat fitting operation the operator positions the heel-seat portion of the sole upon the crease plate 42, the shoe being positioned lengthwise by a back gage I38 and widthwise by a bifurcated gage I40 which engages opposite sides of the rear end of the counter portion of the shoe. The operator then steps upon a treadle (not shown) which forces the margin of the heel-seat portion of the sole against the beveled face 46 of the plate 42. Further pressure upon the treadle causes the knives 38, 40 to move transversely of the sole thereby to form the heel-breast receiving shoulders 28, 30 and the fillets or ledges 32, 34. Continued pres sure upon the treadle causes the margin of the heel-seat portion of the sole to be forced against the plate 42 with greater pressure and also causes the bulger 68 to force the central part of the heelseat portion of the sole through the U-shaped opening. When the heel-seat portion of the sole has been properly clamped and distorted the heelseat reducing cutter I6 slides along the bottom surface of the crease plate 42 to reduce the heelseat portion of the sole. It is preferable after forming the heel-breast receiving shoulders temporarily to stop the shoulder and ledge forming knives 38, 40 in order to support the sole against forward displacement under the operating pressure of the heel-seat reducing cutter I6.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a support for a sole, and a knife mounted for movement in a path extending transversely across the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, said knife having a cutting edge which comprises a leading portion inclined at a slight angle to the path of movement of the knife and constructed and arranged to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder upon the sole, said cutting edge also comprising a trailing portion which is constructed and arranged to form a fillet between the heel-breast receiving shoulder and the heel seat of the sole and which extends rearwardly of the sole and toward the support from the leading portion of the cutting edge during the movement of the knife in said path.

2. In a heel-seat fitting machine, means for securing the heel end of a sole against movement, and a pair of knives mounted for movement in paths respectively extending transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of said knives being provided with a substantially continuous cutting edge having a leading portion inclined at a slight angle to the path of movement of the knife and constructed and arranged to form a shoulder for engaging the breast of a heel of a finished shoe and a trailing portion disposed at a substantial angle to the locus of said leading portion and constructed and arranged to form a ledge which extends to the lateral edge of said shoulder and overlies the forward end of the attaching face of the heel.

3. In a heel-seat fitting machine, means including a support for securing the heel end of a sole against movement, means for reducing the heel-seat portion of the sole to provide a tongue, and a pair of knives mounted for movement in predetermined paths extending respectively transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heelbreast line, each of said knives being provided with a cutting edge having a leading portion inclined at a slight angle to the general plane of the sole and having a trailing portion which extends rearwardly of the sole and toward the support.

4. A heel-seat fitting machine having, in combination, a plate formed and arranged to engage a sole, mechanism for clamping the sole against the plate, a pair of shoulder-forming knives each of which is movable in a predetermined path extending transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of said shoulder-forming knives being provided with a cutting edge a leading portion of which is inclined at a slight angle to the path of movement of the knife and a trailing portion of which is disposed at a substantial angle to the surface generated by said leading portion of the knife and faces in the general direction of its cutting movement, and means for reducing the heel-seat portion of the sole.

5. A heel-seat fitting machine having, in combination, a plate for supporting a sole attached to a shoe upper, a pair of knives movable transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of said knives being provided with a substantially continuous cutting edge comprising leading and trailing portions angularly disposed to each other and facing in directions disposed at substantial angles to each other, said leading portion being arranged to face the shoe upper and being constructed and arranged to form upon the sole a heel-breast receiving shoulder the upper portion of which is inclined at a substantial angle to the general plane of the sole in accordance with the slope of the breast of the heel to be attached to the shoe upper and said trailing portion being constructed and arranged to form a ledge for overlapping the attaching face of the heel, and mechanism for operating said knives.

6. A heel-seat fitting'machine having, in combination, a plate formed and arranged to engage a sole, a presser member for clamping the sole to the plate, means for reducing the heelseat portion of the sole to form a tongue, and a pair of knives mounted for movement toward and away from each other in predetermined paths extending respectively widthwise of the sole, each of the knives having a cutting edge inclined at a slight angle to its path of movement and being constructed and arranged to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder, said cutting edge having an extension constructed and arranged to form a fillet which extends from the outer edge of the shoulder to theforward lateral portion of the tongue.

'7. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a member for supporting a sole, and a pair of knives mounted for rectilinear movement transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its breast line, each of said knives comprising a shoulder-forming cutting edge which faces in a direction disposed at a substantial angle to its path of movement and a fillet-forming extension of said edge which is inclined to the plane of movement of said edge.

8. A heel-seat fitting machine having, in combination, a plate formed and arranged to be received between the sole and upper of a shoe, means for clamping the heel-seat portion of the sole against the plate, means for trimming the heel-seat portion of the sole to reduce the same, and a pair of knives movable in rectilinear paths respectively transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of said knives comprising a cutting blade having a shoulderforrning cutting edge which is inclined at a slight angle to the general plane of the sole and also a fillet-forming cutting edge disposed at a substantial angle to the plane of movement of the first-named cutting edge.

9. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a support for a sole, a presser member for forcing the sole against the support, means for reducing the heelseat portion of the sole, a. pair of knives movable transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of the knives comprising a cutting edge having a leading portion inclined at a slight angle to the general plane of the sole and having a trailing portion which extends rearwardly of the sole and toward the support, and means for operating said knives.

10. A heel-seat fitting machine having, in combination a plate formed and arranged to be received between the sole and the upper of a shoe, a presser member for clamping the heel-seat portion of the sole against the plate, and a pair of knives mounted for movement transversely of the sole, each of said knives comprising a leading blade disposed at a steep angle to the plane of the sole and having a cutting edge inclined at a slight angle to the plane of the sole and a trailing blade provided with a cutting edge which is substantially continuous with the first-named cutting edge and is inclined to the surface cut by the leading blade.

11. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a plate for supporting a sole, mechanism for clamping the sole against the plate, and a pair of knives movable transversely of the sole in predetermined paths, each of said knives comprising a leading blade provided with a planar cutting edge disposed at a slight angle to the path of movement of the knife and constructed and arranged to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder and a trailing blade provided with a ledge-forming cutting edge which is substantially continuous with the cutting edge of the leading blade and is disposed at a substantial angle to the surface cut by the leading blade, the trailing blade having a rounded face constructed and arranged to insure that the previously formed heel-breast receiving shoulder is not cut by engagement of the trailing blade with said shoulder.

12. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a plate formed and arranged to engage the marginal portion of a sole, mechanism for clamping the sole against the plate, a pair of knives movable transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of the knives comprising a leading concave cutting edge which lies in a plane and faces the sole, said edge being provided with an extension disposed at a substantial angle to the surface generated by said leading cutting edge, and means for operating the cutters.

13. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a plate for supporting a sole, mechanism for clamping the sole against the plate, a pair of knives movable in rectilinear paths extending transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heeLbreast line, each of said knives comprising a blade having a leading portion having a concave cutting edge disposed at a slight angle to the sole and constructed and arranged to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder upon the sole and a trailing portion provided with a cutting edge disposed at a substantial angle to the plane of movement of said concave cutting edge and constructed and arranged to form at the upper lateral portion of said shoulder a ledge which will override the forward lateral portions of the attaching face of a heel to be attached to the shoe, and means for operating said knives.

14. A heel-seat fitting machine comprising shoulder-forming means and ledge-forming means fixed relatively to each other but both movable from one side of a sole attached to a shoe upper toward the longitudinal median line thereof, said shoulder-forming means having a cutting edge oblique to its path of cutting movement to operate with a draw out and said ledge-forming means having a cutting edge which is continuous with and is arranged to follow after said oblique edge and operate with a simple planing cut to form a ledge extending rearwardly from the shoulder and toward the shoe upper.

15. In a heel-seat fitting machine, a plate formed and arranged to engage a sole, mechanism for clamping the sole against the plate, means for reducing the heel-seat portion of the sole, and a pair of knives mounted for movement transversely of the sole, each of said knives being provided with a cutting edge comprising a cutting portion constructed and arranged to form a heelbreast receiving shoulder and a cutting portion arranged to form a rearwardly extending fillet which extends from the marginal edge of the heel-breast receiving shoulder to the reduced heel-seat portion of the sole.

16. A heel-seat fitting machine having, in combination,,a plate formed and arranged to project into the crease between a sole and the upper of a shoe, a pair of knives movable transversely of the sole in the vicinity of its heel-breast line, each of said knives being provided with a substantially continuous cutting edge comprising leading and trailing portions angularly disposed to each other, said leading portion having its cutting edge arranged oblique to its path of cutting movement to operate with a draw out thereby to form upon the sole a heel-breast receiving shoulder which is inclined at a substantial angle to the general plane of the sole in accordance with the angle of the breast of the heel to be attached to the shoe upper and said trailing portion being inclined at a substantial angle to the surface cut by said leading edge and being constructed and arranged to form a ledge which overlaps the attaching face of the heel, and mechanism for operating said knives.

17. A heel-seat fitting machine having, in combination, a pair of knives each of which is provided with a substantially continuous L-shaped cutting edge, means for moving each of the knives from one side of a sole toward the longitudinal median line thereof, a leading section of the L- shaped cutting edge being oblique to its path of cutting movement to form a heel-breast receiving shoulder and a trailing section of the L- shaped cutting edge being inclined at a substantial angle to the surface cut by said leading section, thereby to form a ledge projecting rearwardly from the heel-breast receiving shoulder.

EARL A. BESSOM. 

